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From: aurel@xylo.owl.de (Aurel Balmosan)
Subject: Re: Multiple Objects (was: Tank - 2 Objects)
References: <32ff20b5.314908945@timrgate> <33034ED7.41C6@mitre.org> <331f3a8b.135187970@news.inc.net> <MPG.d7b90a190706889989684@timrgate> <E65KsJ.H3@excession.demon.co.no.spam.mail.please.uk>
Organization: Xylo-Systems
Date: Sun, 2 Mar 1997 20:03:53 GMT
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Message-ID: <E6FMEH.17C@xylo.owl.de>
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Keith M. Lucas (sillywiz@excession.demon.co.no.spam.mail.please.uk) wrote:
: Hmm. That's what I keep telling people. "Bleeding edge" I keep saying.
: And they look at me like I'm mad, just 'cos I'm hosting it on Linux
: based PCs.

: Version one isn't really for public consumption, but version two in,
: say, a years time...

Isn't it interesting. We are also developing a war game using the same 
idea. And also using Linux/X11 as the base development system. We
are working on it for about 1 year but only on the weekends.

Our command concept is as follows:
- Each NPC has a basic characteristics like in RPG games.
- Each NPC acts like a agent. He gets input and decide what 
 output to send to someone.
- Each NPC has a private main goal and a task main goal.
- The private main goal is selected randomly at the creation
  of the NPC. (Something like being a ruler; or he don't 
  what to be ruled by anybody; or he wants to be the best
  of what he is doing;...;)

Basically when a NPC is born he starts learning. This learning
is not a AI learning. So no NN or GA. Someone just decide which
role he should take in the game. E.g:
- A solder.
- A commander.
 ...
- A farmer.
- A business man.
- ...

When the NPC take a role he gets a basic agent program for that
role. Agent program is a description what input is recognized and
how the output is format. A agent program has a size. A young
NPC can hold only a small agent program. When he gains experience
he get more memory. So he can hold a bigger program. The game
provides different agent programs for different roles. At first
the player can simply use these programs. 

But there will be a time when the player wants to improve the 
agent programs. This he can do easily using a data flow diagram
editor specially design for agent programs. To implement a new
agent program the player must send NPC to school. Or, for solders
to a training area. In this training areas the player can test 
the new programs. But because this game will be a real time game
the game will continue while developing new agent programs.

The size of a agent program is very important. A simple solder
can only hold a program to handle simple commands and act in 
critical situations independently. A commander is can hold a
larger agent program. Eg. He knows about formations for attack,
guarding or defending. 

Each NPC sees through a virtual map. Normally this map shows only
the area around the NPC. For a commander the map also contains 
the maps of the next lower   level. These maps are not
updated automatically. E.g: Each soldier got the command to
report continuesly to the commander. So the commander will see
there maps. 

Upto this time the concept is not finished and we are searching
for a fast implementation. The game will have about 2000-3000 NPC's
doing something when two player or one player and a AI is playing.

	Aurel Balmosan
-- 

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Aurel Balmosan		aurel@xylo.owl.de
Xylo: The way things are going.
